Locking device



Jan. 30, 1934. w. H. FEATHERSTONE LOCKING DEVICE Filed July 24, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR WILLIAM HENRY FEATHERTONE By W; Lu (4% MATTORNEYS/ Jan. 30, 1934- w FEATHERSTQNE 1,945,428

LOCKING DEVICE Filed July 24, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WILLIAM HENRY FEATHERSTONE mkh AL ATTORN Patented Jan. 30, 1934 PATENT OFFICE LOCKING DEVICE William Henry Feather-stone, London, England, assignor to Allen, Rae & Company, Limited, a company of Great Britain Application July 24, 1933, Serial No. 682,026, and in Great Britain August 2, 1932 8 Claims.

Various devices have been'proposed for preventing unauthorized use of a motor vehicle or internal combustion engine, comprising a 'keyoperated look by which the plug of the petrol or gas supply cock is moved from its off into its on position, or vice-versa. Another key-operated locking device for a valve has also been proposed whereby on turning a key in a lock a sliding latch member is first released to free the 10 valve member whereupon the valve can then be operated by its own operating handle.

The present invention does not include such key-operated lock devicesbroadly, but relates to a deviceof simple structural form for actuating and locking in its 0 position a rotatable control member, such as the plug of a. cook or an electric switch.

The plug of a petrol cook or the like maybe turned by hand to shutoff the liquid or gas, whereupon'a spring actuated latch or catch member engages with a disc member which always turns with the'plug of the cock, and so holds the latter in its foif position; Said latch is independent of the key-operated lock of the device,

' 'and'it can only be released by turning the key in the lock, which operation first'rele'asesthe latch and then turns the plug to its on position. The key is not required to turn the plug from on. to off position, this is done by turning by handan external actuating member such as a knob, thumb-button or the like.

"Mechanism for effecting said operationsmay' be mounted inside a casing with detachable cover adapted to be 'fixed as a unit to a support, such 3551 as a dash-board, panel or the like, and the device can be adapted to lock in the o position a rotatablecontrol member of any kind of apparatus, and so prevent unauthorized use of the apparatus.

9 The invention consists in a device for actuating a rotatable control member and locking it in its off position, comprising a rotary actuating member coaxial with and coupled to the control member so that it always rotates therewith, a

spring-actuated latch' member which operates'to lock the control member in its off position, a key-operated lock preferably of the cylinder type with an internal lever, whereby on turning the key in the lock said lever is driven and first 'dis- 0--en'gages the latch from the actuating member and thendrives the actuating member into the on position.

The invention also consists in mounting the control member inside a casing adapted to be' fastenedto a support, 'and'mounting'the springactuated latch, key-operated lock and actuating member on a cover-plate detachably fastened to said casing.

Drawings are appended illustrating the invention as carried into effect in a few preferred forms. v

Figures 1 to 5 refer to the device as adapted to be fixed to the dashboard of a motor car'to actuate the cock controllingthe supply of petrol to the engine. Figure 1 is a section through'the axes of the cock and the barrel of the lock respectively. Figure 2 shows a vertical section of the casing through the axis of the latch. Figure 3 is an elevation of the detachable cover with the mechanism mounted thereon as viewed from '10 inside the casing, the control member being shown in the off position. Fig. 3a is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 3, but, showing the control member in the on position. Figure 4 is a front elevation and Figure 5 a plan, drawn 76 to half the scale of Figures 1 to 3.

Figure 6 is a view corresponding to Figure l of a device for actuating a cock controlling the supply and delivery of liquids such as hot-water, beer, spirits and the like. 80

Figures 7 and 8 relate to a device adapted to actuate an electric switch, Figure 7 being a fragmentary view'corresponding to Figure 1, and Figure 8 a fragmentary view at right angles to Figure 7.

Referring to Figures 1 to 5, the mechanism is arranged inside a flanged casing 1 adapted to be fastened to the dashboard or the like support. The barrel 2 of the petrol cock is made integral with the casing and communicates by holes with two external lugs 3 and. 4 to which the petrol pipe unions are connected in the usual manner. The casing is closed by a detachable cover plate 5, to which the cylinder lock is rigidly fixed with its barrel 6 inside the casing. The cylinder 7 of the lock projects through the inner end of the barrel, and a lever 8 is fixed to its end. To reduce fric tion and wear a roller 12 may be mounted at the end of lever B. I

The actuating member is made in two coaxial parts, an internal part 10 and an external part 16,

a thumb-button in the example illustrated. Said parts have their abutting surfaces provided with claw-clutch projections 18 or the like, and they are fastened rigidly together by a coaxial screw 19, so that when assembledthey are turned together as one rigid body. They are rotatably mounted on the cover plate coaxial with the axis of the petrol cock or plug, the part 10 inside the cover plateand the part 16 outside. The plug 11 and the part 10 of the actuating member are fluted at 14 or otherwise coupled in such manner that they can only engage in one position, and always turn together but have slight freedom of movement axially. A coaxial spring 15 interposed between these two parts in well known manner presses the plug against its seating and the actuating member against the cover plate.

A spring-pressed latch member in the form of a rotatable sleeve 9 with two projecting arms 9 and 9 (see Figs. 3 and 3a) approximately at right angles to each other is mounted on a shouldered stud 2O fixed at its shouldered end 20 inside the cover-plate. The stud projects right through the latch member, and its projecting smaller end rests in a hole or socket in the rear wall of the casing. One of said arms 9 co-operates with the lever 8 on the end of the lock cylinder. The other arm 9 has a projecting tooth 9 which is pressed into a notch 10 on a cylindrical part of the actuating member when the plug of the cock is in its oiT position (Fig. 3), and into a shallow notch 10 with sloping sides when the plug is in its on position (Fig. 3a). In Figure 3a, the arm 10 of actua ating member 10 is shown in the position it assumes when ithas moved the plug of the cock into its on position, after having been engaged by roller 12 carried by lever or cam 8 of lock cylinder '7. a The pressure of the latch tooth 9 against the actuating member is effected by a torsion spring 21 arranged inside the sleeve of the latch member and surrounding the stud aforesaid, one end of the spring engaging with the shoulder 20 of the stud \at its cover-plate end. Said shoulder acts as an additional bearing for the end of the sleeve 9. One end of the spring 21 may be fastened to the latch member by slightly riveting over its end, the other end of the spring being slightly bent to en- -1 gage with one of a plurality of ratchet-like notches 20 cut on the shoulder 20 of stud 20, as shown in Figure 2. The pressure exerted by the latch against the actuating member is then easily adjustable before the latter is placed in position. 5 g The action of the device is as iollows:-

On turning the key in the lock in the direction of the arrow A, Figure 3, the end of lever 8 cooperates first with the arm 9 and turns the latch member 9, the tooth 9 being lifted clear'of notch 10 so that actuating member 10 is unlocked. ""The movementof the key being continuedjthe end of lever 8 then engages with arm 10 of the actuating member and drives it into the position shown in Fig. 3a, carrying with it the plug of the COCk into its on position. The usual spring (not shown) brings back the lock cylinder to initial position, when the key can be withdrawn, irrespective of whether the control member is in the on or off position. The cover-plate (see Figs. 4 and 5) is fastened to the casing by two screws at 22 screwed from inside the flange 23 of the easing into the coverplate, and the device completely assembled is fastened to the dashboard by two small bolts at 24 which pass through the dashboard into nuts at the back thereof.

Referring now to Figure 6, this corresponds to Figure 1' modified as follows:-

. r The lug 4 is arranged as a spout for the dis- 7 charge of the liquid. The barrel 6 of the cylinder lock is made in the same casting as the coverplate 5 The ports 25 from the cock to the lug 3 and spout 4= are arranged as shown, with two screw-plugs 26 closing the ends of the two short -ports at right angles to each other. The mechanism is substantially the same as that shown in Figure 1.

Referring now to Figures 7 and 8, the lugs 3 and 4 are adapted to receive the terminals for the conductor wires and the contacts for the electric switch. The fluted plug 11 is adapted to form the rotatable member of the switch. For this purpose it is provided with an insulating sleeve 2'7 in which is embedded a small conductor segment 28. Spring contacts which press radially against the plug and terminal binding screws are arranged in the lugs 3 and 4 in well-known manner. In Figure 8 the conductor segment 28 is shown in position to contact with both spring contacts, when'the electric current is on. On turning the thumb-button, the conductor segment 28 is moved away from the spring contact in lug 4 whereupon the electric current is cut off.

The mechanism and structural forms are capable of modifications within the scope of the invention as claimed in the claims hereinafter; But the mechanism shown has the advantage that very little skilled labour and fitting are required for its assembly. The various parts are all loosely assembled without fixing screws or the like, and aremaintained inproper relationship when the cover-plate is fastened to the casing by the two screws 22, and are all accessible when thecover-plate is detached.

The terms on and off as used herein may,

2. A device for operating a rotatable control member and looking it in a definite position, com-' prising, in combination, a rotatable control member carrying a cam piece, a spring controlled latch member'adapted to lock said control member in a definite position, and a key operated cam adapted by its rotation to release said latch from locking engagement with said control member and then to engage said cam piece to rotate 'said control member to a desired position, and a rotary actuating member for returning said control mem-' ber to its initial position.

3. A device for operating a rotatable control member and looking it in a definite position, comprising, in combination, arotatable control mem-- ber having a recess and carrying a cam piece, a spring controlled latch having a projection adapted to lock in said recess in said control member, and a key-operated cam adapted by its rotation to release said latch from locking engagement with said control member and then to en gage said cam piece to turn the control member into a desired position.

4. A device for operating a rotatable control member and locking it in a definite position, comprising, in combination, a rotatable control mem ber having a recess, a rotatable latch member mounted on an axis parallel to that" of said control member, said latch member carrying a release cam and a latch cam having a projection adapted to lock in said recess in said control member, and a key-operated cam adapted by its retation to engage said release cam, thereby rotating said latch member and releasing said latch cam from looking engagement with said control member, and then to turn said control member into a desired position.

5. A device as set forth in claim 4, in which the rotatable control member carries a cam piece adapted to be engaged by the key-operated cam, whereby the control member is turned into the desired position.

6. A device for operating a rotatable control member and looking it in a definite position, comprising a rotatable control member carrying a cam piece, a cylinder lock carrying a cam at the inner end of the rotatable portion thereof, said lock being mounted apart from and on an axis parallel to that of said control member, and a spring controlled latch member adapted to lock said control member in a definite position, the arrangement being such that the cam operated by the key of the lock first releases said latch member from looking engagement with said control member and then by engaging said cam piece turns the control member into a desired position.

'7. A device for operating a rotatable control member and for looking it in a definite position, comprising a casing consisting essentially of two parts adapted to fit together substantially in one plane, a rotatable control member housed within said casing and having means external to said casing and operable by hand for returning said control member to the locked position, a cylinder lock located 'in said casing apart from and on an axis parallel to that of said control member, and a spring controlled latch member also mounted Within said casing, the arrangement being such that the rotatable portion of the lock first releases said latch member from looking engagement with said control member and then turns the control member into a desired position.

8. A device as set forth in claim 7, in which the rotatable control member is a plug cock and the casing is-provided with ports corresponding to the orifices in said cock.

WILLIAM H. FEATHERSTONE. 

